EVOX EXPO at the CMC Demonstrates Clean Reliable DC Fast EV Charging

Sacramento, CA. August 5, 2024: GenCell and its sponsors from the California Mobility Center (CMC) and the Sacramento Clean Cities Coalition had a busy but successful day running the EVOX EXPO at the CMC. A large crowd of EV, renewable energy and cleantech professionals from the public and private sectors gathered at the CMC Ramp-up Factory in Sacramento to listen to an insightful panel discussion on hydrogen and its potential impact on EV charging; then they toured the site to see the GenCell EVOX^® demonstrating its DC fast EV charging capabilities.

For many advocates that until now considered the integration of hydrogen fueling into hybrid microgrids for mission-critical power applications an interesting technology concept, the event transformed this “nice idea’ into a tangible solution that resolves real-life power challenges, among these the ability to charge EVs at sites that lack the electrical infrastructure to plug chargers into the socket, of which the CMC Ramp-up Factory is an example. Thanks to the EVOX, now the CMC will be able to deploy the DC fast chargers that have been standing there inactive for lack of access to grid power.

The event kicked off with a keynote by Orville Thomas, CEO of the CMC, who welcomed the visitors to experience the CMC, a living laboratory where the most innovative smart mobility technologies are being developed to drive the next generation of transportation. GenCell and the CMC have partnered to demonstrate the EVOX bridge power solution at the CMC throughout 2024.  The partnership is an example of how the CMC helps accelerate and promote clean energy and transportation technology to ensure California meets its clean air goals. Running the EVOX at this facility, like many in California that lack sufficient power for fast charging, highlights power solutions that can be used to bridge between where technology is now and where it needs to be.

The panel discussion, entitled “The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Incorporating Hydrogen for Sustainable & Resilient Fueling of Transportation and Energy to Reach a Zero-Emission Economy” discussed how hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, bridges the gap to a resilient and sustainable energy future. The expert panelists Nico Bouwkamp, Business Development Manager H2 for GTI Energy; Mike Hart, CEO of Sierra Energy and Sierra Railroad Company; Raef Porter, Transportation and Climate Change Program Manager at SMAQMD (Sacramento Municipal Air Quality Management District and moderator Andrew Higgins, CoB of the Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance (TxETRA) and a senior consultant at KPMG, shared their experience and insights about hydrogen production, storage and distribution, reviewing how harnessing its power can decarbonize a variety of mission-critical use cases.

Inspired by the potential of hydrogen, the audience were excited to learn how hydrogen can play a part in resolving the challenge of EV fleet electrification that needs DC fast charging capacity and doesn’t want to wait for a utility infrastructure upgrade.  The EVOX can be connected to a 208V 3 phase circuit on-site and start charging any electric vehicle that must be operationally ready to go on-demand. And if grid power is insufficient due to an emergency, outage or peak demand, the EVOX zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell will kick in immediately to generate power on-site. Next on the agenda was a presentation of the EVOX solution and the many different electrified transportation use cases that the EVOX can support, including a simulation of the proprietary GenCell GEMS™ energy management software that optimizes the performance of the EVOX by offering precise calculations of fuel levels, real-time monitoring and control and deep operational intelligence. Then we reached the moment everyone was waiting for: after all, the audience came to see the EVOX in action with their own eyes!

Groups toured the facility to see the EVOX execute 150kW-rated charging of a Tesla Model 3 performance as well as of a Ford e-transit delivery van.  The charging went smoothly and GenCell team members were on-hand to supply technical explanations to many questions from the crowd of industry professionals, policy makers and RE & EV enthusiasts – including representatives from Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Nikola, TechFlow, H2 Strategies, TechFlow and many other businesses with interests in powering sustainable transportation. We appreciate the support of our partners at the California Mobility Center (CMC), Sacramento Clean Cities Coalition, Freshwater Advisors, Techflow and i-charging who have contributed to the success of this event and to the rollout of the GenCell EVOX in California and elsewhere in the U.S.

The EVOX EXPO event not only demonstrated the EVOX solution in action, but facilitated discussions on the future of clean mobility, the integration of renewable energy sources and the democratization of decarbonization.  Looking ahead, GenCell welcomes stakeholders interested in the future of energy and transportation to explore our solutions aiming to realize our vision of GreenFSG – Green Fuel-Store-Generate to resolve today’s challenges presented by the transition to electric mobility and to work together to enable a future of zero-emission uninterrupted, resilient and reliable power anywhere.

Click here to see CBS Sacramento’s coverage of the event.